Instagram for kids reportedly in the works from Facebook

Facebook is looking to create a version of Instagram for kids under the age of 13, according to a Thursday report by BuzzFeed News. The publication cited an internal company post about the project.

"I'm excited to announce that going forward, we have identified youth work as a priority for Instagram and have added it to our H1 priority list," Vishal Shah, Instagram's vice president of product, reportedly wrote on an employee message board. "We will be building a new youth pillar within the Community Product Group to focus on two things: (a) accelerating our integrity and privacy work to ensure the safest possible experience for teens and (b) building a version of Instagram that allows people under the age of 13 to safely use Instagram for the first time."

Currently, anyone under 13 isn't allowed to use the photo sharing platform. Facebook similarly rolled out Messenger Kids in 2017, which is designed specifically for children under 13.

A Facebook representative didn't confirm the full details of the BuzzFeed report, but said in a statement: "Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends. Right now there aren't many options for parents, so we're working on building additional products -- like we did with Messenger Kids -- that are suitable for kids, managed by parents. We're exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more."

Instagram's head Adam Mosseri would reportedly oversee the effort, while Facebook vice president Pavni Diwanji would lead it, according to BuzzFeed. Before joining Facebook, the publication notes Diwanji worked for Google and oversaw products aimed at children, including YouTube Kids.

:story: c|net